Omniscience

God is omniscient. He knows everything.

What does that mean?

I wonder if our concept of God is strongly and incorrectly influenced by what mankind believed about God for nearly 2 millenia. It makes sense... our core beliefs are formed early in our life. Even if God chose to reveal the details of His own nature to the church, most would probably not have believed them. Some details were revealed little by little as early members of the church built their faith, but it's clear that God has witheld a lot about Himself (and even more about Heavenly Mother).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that our concept of omniscience may be wrong. Most of us believe that God holds every single miniscule detail, every single quark which makes up a proton or electron, in the entire universe, with its seemingly unpredictable and random motion, in His mind at all times. Not only does he hold a snapshot of every tiny detail of the entire universe with all the current directional vectors (how everything is moving at that time), but He also holds that snapshot for every point in time from eternity to eternity in His mind.

I suppose if we were to try to believe the concept of God being everywhere and everything, having no form, if we were able to imagine up such an incredible sentient being, I think a being that literaly holds everything from eternity to eternity in His mind could also be believed. But believing God is a divine man, and that we may become as He is, doesn't that idea of omniscience seem a bit too radical?

I'm not trying to say that God isn't omniscient. I believe He knows everything. But it's what that means that I question.

Here's the verse that I read this morning that sparked this whole question:

The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes. D&C 38:2

So God knows all because He sees all. So I think it's more like, if He wants to know something He simply has to look. Perhaps it's the urim and thummim that we'll all receive who are exalted. Will we not be able to know all things then, even if we don't hold all that info in our minds? Is there a difference between storing info in a mind and retrieving it by remembering or thinking it and storing data in a seer stone and retrieving it by looking for it? Do you not still possess all knowledge?

I may be wrong, but it's an interesting way of looking at it.